Regulation of Cats

Contents

• Introduction
• Background to Cat Control
• Sample Ordinance Provisions
• Feral Cat Control

Introduction

Of the cities and towns that responded to the Association of Washington Cities 2006 tax and user fee survey, 66 Washington municipalities provided for the licensing of cats. Licensing requirements are similar to those of dogs. The animal must be spayed or neutered or a higher fee is charged for the license. Rabies shots are also among the requirements. Some communities, such as Coulee Dam and Walla Walla, have provisions directed at the control of "cats-at-large."

Background to Cat Control

• American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Position Statement on Free Roaming, Owned Cats, current as of June 2005
• Birds and Cats - The Cats Indoors! Campaign, American Bird Conservancy
• HSUS Statement on Free-Roaming Cats (), Appendix B of Community Approaches to Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations
• Be a Good Neighbor, Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)
• Don’t Help Cats Hurt Wildlife, Crossing Paths News Notes, Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, 08/2010
• Keep Your Cat Safe at Home: HSUS's Safe Cats Campaign

Sample Ordinance Provisions

• Clark County Code Sec. 8.07.200-.250 - Cat License
• Kent Municipal Code Sec. 8.03.040 - License Required (includes dogs and cats)
• Mount Vernon Municipal Code
  • Sec. 6.04.040 - .110 - Mandatory Registration of Dogs and Cats
  • Sec. 6.04.150 - .160 - Animals Running at Large (including cats) - Leash Requirements
• Seattle Pet Licensing, Seattle Animal Shelter - Includes dogs, cats, and potbelly pigs
• Stanwood Municipal Code Sec. 8.02.210 - Trespassing Dogs and Cats Prohibited - Requirement to remove fecal matter
• Sumner Municipal Code Sec. 6.04.030 - Dog and Cat Licensing
• Tumwater Municipal Code Ch. 6.04- Dogs, Cats and Other Pets
• Walla Walla Municipal Code Ch. 6.13 - Cats - Allows only neutered cats outdoors and limits number, regulates outdoor feeding

Feral Cat Control

For some communities, the presence of wild domestic cats, or feral cats, is the source of many nuisance complaints. Feral cat management programs known as "trap, neuter, release" (TNR) or "trap-test-vaccinate-alter-release-and-monitor" (TTVARM) programs are presented as a solution to the problem. Such programs aim to reduce the number of feral cats while concurrently reducing the number of animals killed in shelters and animal control facilities.

• Free Roaming, Abandoned and Feral Cats, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Animal Welfare Position Statement, 07/2004, revised 11/2005
• Position Statement on Free Roaming, Abandoned and Feral Cats, American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)
• Community Approaches to Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations, by Margaret R. Slater, Humane Society of the United States, 2002
• Detailed Discussion of Feral Cat Population Control, by Anthony E. LaCroix, Michigan State University College of Law, Animal Legal and Historical Center, 2006
• Feral Cats Are Not Wildlife in Need of Support (), Crossing Paths with Wildlife in Washington Towns and Cities, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Fall 2003
• Coulee City Ordinance No. 513, 04/2003 - Prohibiting Feeding of Feral Cats on Town Property
• King County Animal Care and Control, 2008 Operational Master Plan Appendix I - Feral Cats ()
• Organizations
  • Alley Cat Allies
  • Feral Cat Coalition, San Diego
  • Paws Feral Cats - Lists Washington resource contacts

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Need more information?

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